For Anguilla, I was interested in making these conch fritters.
I wanted to do something with conch, and Jessica just got a deep fryer for Christmas.
(from her really really really good friend that is making a meal from every country in the world with her.)
So we decided to make Rum Conch Fritters with Tamarind sauce, Pigeon Peas with Rice, Shrimp Fritters, and a punch my friend Katie found on the internets.
Here is that punch.
It was a mix of sparkling lime juice, pineapple juice, and muddled oranges. With a sprinkling of nutmeg!
Some of the folks there added some rum..
I didn’t. Because.. You know. I’m an alcoholic.
I also did a reprise of that passion fruit mousse.
Turns out, I didn’t blend it enough the first time.
Shows what I know.
Conch was something I’d never used before..
When I went to my favorite fish market, Empire Fish, I talked to the guy behind the counter about it.
They had frozen and canned.
He said he was from Hawaii, and made conch fritters there all the time.
He said I should use the canned, because the frozen could get a bit tough.
Everything I heard about conch was that it gets tough MEGA easily.
It kinda freaked me out!
It has kept me from trying it for years.
When I opened the can, though, and poured these guys into a bowl…
I have to tell you that it was pretty much love at first sight.
So delicate and pretty looking.
I feel the same way about these things as I do about sea scallops.
And really, I think I need a break from sea scallops.
I ate nothing but for a while there.
The conch has opened up a whole new world of possibilities.
I sauteed them in a bit of olive oil and garlic.
Not for long..
The olive oil and garlic first, then the conch.
And only for about a minute and a half at medium-high heat.
We tried them after that.
SONNAH.
I COULD EAT A BOWL OF THEM DUDES.
But no.
We put them in a food processor.
(which seemed like such a disservice afterward)
We added the bread crumbs, dark rum, turmeric, ginger, salt, and chicken stock.
It was all pastey.
And really, the delicate flavor of the conch was lost.
I think if I were to make this again, I would make sure to add big chunks of conch?
I don’t know.
The curry really wiped out any semblance of seafood flavor.
(They were delicious! Don’t get me wrong!)
I forgot to take pictures of the tamrind sauce and pigeon peas and rice prep.
I was a little enamored with the conch.
Sue me.
We also made these shrimp fritters.
They are completely different.
It’s like.. A regular doughnut vs. a cake doughnut.
A hush puppy to a bread ball.
I don’t think I seasoned them well enough, either.
Eh.
My thing now is ordering cookbooks.
I’d like to have a cookbook from every country when I’m done.
How fun would that be??!
I just went to Barnes and Noble, and wrote down about a billion books that I wanted.
So.
If you like me, you should buy me one.
Here is the recipe for the Arroz con Gandules(pigeon peas with rice).
We got it from the Caribbean cookbook I have in my possession.
We did not make sofrito.
We purchased it from a nice Mexican grocery..
The rice turned out AMAZING.
Juan keeps asking me about the last time I made something that tasted bad.
That first passion fruit mousse was garbage.
Ha!
RECIPES
Arroz con Gandules
8 oz dried pigeon peas
8 cups water
4 tsp salt
2 tbs olive oil
1 cup sofrito
1 small green pepper chopped
4 olive pitted and chopped
1 tsp capers
2 cups rice, rinsed
Soak peas overnight. Boil in slated water until tender about one hour.
Heat oil in pan. Add sofrito and pepper cook for 3 minutes. Add olives and capers saute for 4 minutes.
Drain peas, keep 2 1/2 cups liquid. Add peas and rice to the pan, stir well, cook over high heat for 4 minutes. Add reserved liquid from peas and cook over medium heat until most but not all of the water is absorbed, about 4 minutes. Stir, cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Serve hot.
